The new practical housekeeping

Plain Omelet — Put the yolks of three or four eggs into a bowl and beat lightly; add one tablespoon butter broken into small pieces; this makes a much lighter omelet and should always be added ; now gently stir in the well frothed whites and a little pepper. Have the hot omelet pan prepared with one tablespoon butter and OMELETS. 215 as soon as it bubbles, stir the omelet once or twice and pour it in ; lift it with a large two-pronged fork (a carving fork will do), carefully raising the edges with ~ the fork as fast as they cook, and turn tnem toward the center until the omelet lies in the middle of the pan in a light mass^ cooked soft or hard hard to suit the taste ; the inside must always be creamy. When the omelet is done to the degree desired, add salt, turn upon a hot dish without touching it with either fork or spoon, and serve at once. Another excellent method is to beat three eggs, without separating the whites and yolks, with a little salt and pepper, and put them into a frying pan containing an ounce of butter, browned ; let the omelet stand for a moment, and then turn the edges up gently with a fork, and shake the pan to prevent its burning or sticking at the bottom. Five minutes will fry it a delicate brown, fold over and serve on a very hot dish ; never cook an omelet until it is just wanted ; the flavor may be very much enhanced by adding minced parslev, minced onions or shallot, or grated cheese, allowing a level tablespoon of former, and half the quantity of latter, to tne above proportion of eggs. Shrimps or oysters may also be added ; the latter should be scalded in their liquor, dnd then bearded and cut into small pieces. Be careful not to have omelet greasy, burnt, or too much done, and ^ook over a gentle fire, that the whole of the substance may be heated without drying up the outside. They are sometimes served with gravy ; but this should never be poured over them, but but served in a tureen, as the liquid causes the omelet to become heavy and flat, instead of light and soft. In making the gravy, the flavor should be delicate, and arrowroot or rice flour should be used for thickening. For Cheese Omelet make a plain omelet as above, and as soon as it begins to thicken sprinkle in three tablespoons grated cheese. A very nice Chicken Omelet is made by adding to the plain omelet just before folding a cup of cooked chicken chopped fine and and warmed in cream sauce. Potato Omelet — Boil two tablespoons potato flour in threefourths pint milk for half an hour, with sugar to taste, and flavor if desired. Beat separately the whites and yolks of five eggs, stir through the milk, and bake fifteen minutes in hot oven. Or t^ke two mealy potatoes, mash well with enough cream to pass them through a sieve and add a little white pepper and salt (or sugar, if for a sweet omelet) ; beat six new-laid eggs, put with tne potatoes ; butter a frying-pan and heat well ; pour in the omelet, ana as soon as it sets turn over the ends and serve hot. With a sweet omelet, a little cinnamon or grated lemon peel, ginger or nutmeg, may be employed, Pufi^ Omelet — Stir into the yolks of six eggs and whites of three beaten very light, one tablespoon flour mixed with a cup cream 216 OMSLETS.